Robot Retraction Zone Control for Moving Target Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial robots often fail to perform processes accurately and safely when following continuously-moving or repeatedly-moving/stopped process targets, leading to potential equipment damage due to unforeseen situations like fitting failures or pin biting.
Innovation Solution
A robot control system that sets a first area for processing and a second area for retraction, where the robot performs a retraction motion when moving out of the processing area, allowing for the detection of process failures and prevention of equipment damage by controlling the robot's drive to safely avoid abnormal situations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the robot follows the moving process target continuously, then the process efficiency is improved, but the risk of equipment damage increases due to unforeseen situations like fitting failures
Solution Approach 1:
The space around the robot is segmented into multiple zones (first zone, second zone, third zone) based on distance from the robot. Each zone has different safety requirements and response actions. This spatial segmentation allows the system to maintain continuous following operation while implementing zone-based safety monitoring and emergency avoidance strategies.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-establishes multiple zones around the robot and defines emergency avoidance actions before any incident occurs. When the process target enters predetermined zones, the system proactively triggers appropriate responses (speed reduction, stopping, or emergency avoidance) rather than reacting after damage occurs. This preliminary preparation enables continuous operation with built-in safety margins.
2Reliability
If the robot performs retraction motion frequently to avoid equipment damage, then the equipment safety is improved, but the process efficiency deteriorates due to interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The robot's motion behavior is dynamically adjusted based on the process target's position relative to predetermined zones. The system transitions between different operational modes (normal following, speed reduction, stopping, emergency avoidance) depending on real-time spatial relationships. This dynamic adaptation allows the robot to maintain high efficiency during normal operation while automatically activating safety measures only when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the position of the process target relative to the robot and compares it against predetermined zone boundaries. Based on this feedback, the control unit automatically adjusts robot behavior (maintaining speed, reducing speed, stopping, or performing emergency avoidance). This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures safety without requiring frequent unnecessary retraction motions, thereby maintaining process efficiency.
3Productivity
If the robot maintains high speed following to improve productivity, then the process efficiency is improved, but the detection precision of abnormal situations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes multiple zones around the robot at different distances, creating predetermined detection regions before any incident occurs. The first zone (closest to robot) triggers emergency avoidance, the second zone triggers stopping, and the third zone triggers speed reduction. This preliminary zonation allows the system to maintain high speed following while ensuring that detection precision is sufficient at each distance threshold, enabling proactive safety responses without sacrificing overall productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a robot control system that performs a process by a robot for a continuously-moving process target or a repeatedly-moving/stopped process target, the robot control system being configured so that even in a case where the robot process cannot be properly performed in the robot control system, disadvantages such as occurrence of damage of equipment can be avoided by sensing of such failure in the robot process. The robot control system includes a robot that performs a process for a process target, a control unit that controls drive of the robot, a first area setting unit that sets a first area where the process is performed for the process target, and a second area setting unit that sets a second area outside the first area such that the robot performs a retraction motion when a working apparatus provided at the robot moves out of the first area and enters the second area while the robot is following the moving process target.